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GREG-SPONSES 2010-01 (Jan)

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Phoenician writes...

Sunday

It’s seriously getting harder and harder to start writing about how each day began, because by the time I write these entries (night of) there’s just SOOO much that goes on inbetween. For those that only get the chance to do write after the convention, I seriously pity them for having to remember all this stuff . . . especially keeping in mind that their nights didn’t likely end BEFORE midnight.

Well, wake up for me this morning was before my alarm set at 8:30 AM . . . I do believe I have so far beat my alarm every single day of this Gathering . . . just simple and perpetual anticipation. After a quick bowl of cereal and a near-dragging of Goose to wake up (he DIDN’T beat his alarm), we made our way back to Universal City and the Hilton. I can’t remember what we played in the car, but at one point I told Goose that I actually had the song ‘Rappin Drakken’ from Kim Possible. He chuckled. As he laughed, I told him to say, ‘I don’t believe you.’ The second he said it, I whipped out my cell phone, saying, ‘well, I’ll guess I’ll just have to show you then!” Also along the way we looked at the schedule and we tried to figure out just who our last Mug-A-Guest should be . . . we couldn’t decide between Sean Galloway and Victor Cook . . . and if it wasn’t for the act that we’ve had a healthy exposure (pun intended) time with Thom Adcox, we’d probably be considering his Mugging as well. In the end we kinda chose Victor knowing that we wouldn’t be there at nine and expected Sean’s to fill up really quickly.

As we parked in the hotel parking, we head toward the elevator which was held open by a guy who noticed our Con-Badges. His quick reaction to say ‘Gargoyles, huh?’ made us think was a fellow fan, but he quickly silenced all speculation as he told us he was none other than Frank Paur, which was just crazy-obvious at that point, or anyone remembering his face on the season one DVD . . . his hair’s just longer. As the elevator brought us to the Lobby, he told us he’d see us later after he checked in, much to our excitement.

Anyhoo, we arrive about a half hour after nine (traffic was oddly more-so than Saturday and Goose took FOREVER to eat his breakfast) and were delighted to see that not only Victor Cook’s Mug was still open, but Sean’ as well! Thus, we quickly found ourselves in a dilemma we thought we got through . . . Sean or Victor, Victor or Sean? Oy vey . . . in the end Victor was, well the victor since we both wanted to see the panel with the Gargoyles Production Crew. As we waited for that panel to start, we hanged out in the lobby area, where we were greeted by a few fans . . . finally got the chance to tell Blaise what an awesome Zafiro he was, as well as tell Nikki how great she was at being the Gobby-pumpkin bombs at the Radio Play. I was also treated by Guardian who let me not only see her wicked collection of Gargoyles trading cards, but actually pick a couple of her various extras as well! Again, another small moment in between events, but this is an aspect about Gargoyles I never experienced as a kid . . . I don’t remember once talking to a fellow classmate about Gargoyles . . . recesses were almost always about Power Rangers . . . what was a six year old to do then, guys?

So the Gargoyles Production Panel began, and it was great to hear from such talented artists (of various expertises, some even multiple expertises) talk about the creation of the show that I got hooked to nearly fifteen years ago. Discussions regarding the backgrounds of New York City, and making sure the artists overseas actually got a chance to KNOW what NYC was like was truly insightful . . . that and hearing that the team that did ‘research’ on the Big Apple was just Frank Paur and his camera. I don’t know where I heard it myself, but I DO remember hearing about a New York City team . . . that was a kick to find out d:

Following the panel, I then started my day-long bout of hounding for autographs, trying to rush out in time to get Frank, Michael Reeves, and the other panelist autographs just in time before the special screening of the Spectacular Spider-Man Comic Con footage was to be seen. A quick text from Goose told me that wasn’t going to happen, so I dashed my way back to the room (I think I told Brooklyn X it was starting while in line and he ran with me), finding my seat in the front with Blaise and Greg B sitting in the same row.

The footage was â€" you know its coming â€" spectacular! Best moment that was cut had to have been Hammerhead watching the Enforcers get duped in some pool bet with Hammy’s chauffeur, even with that error of the eight ball as the cue ball (never played pool myself, but maybe she’s just THAT good?). The Enforcer’ reactions were priceless. I also enjoyed seeing the interaction of Ned Lee and Betty Brant, something that â€" with SO MUCH else we get to see on the show â€" has just barely squeezed itself in with Ned asking Betty out in season two. Shocker’s escape in ‘Group Therapy’ was definite miss in the sense of continuity . . . as well as the Chameleon bit â€" looks like Beck has NEVER been to prison, hee hee.

And of course, after Greg W mentioned it, I would have loved to have seen the Emma giving mouth to mouth to Aunt May in the same ep â€" some day, maybe we’ll be lucky to see it.

This is where it gets hard to remember . . . I do know I saw the Spidey-Panel . . . that’s easy to remember because I did notice the difference in guest numbers . . . Spidey-guest doubled Garg-guest there, though a few Garg-guests (Vic, Pamela Long, Greg Gular, and oh yeah, Greg W) were doing double guest duties in these panels. Problem is, I’m not sure when I left the panel, cause I know I managed to get the Garg crew autographs as well as the Spidey crew following the panel . . . I think maybe I left as the panel ended, cause Frank and Greg G were at the Spidey panel as well, now that I think about it, I remember them watching the special screening . . . so I think I just blitzed them all with Garg and Spidey merchandise after the Spidey Crew ended. *shrug*

Funny bit â€" getting Frank’s autograph and telling him a second time (after the elevator this morning), “Nice to meet you!” He responded, “Nice to meet you . . . again!” hah! Good stuff.

Anyways, this version of events so far makes sense to me, as I do remember walking in late for the Composing panel, which I didn’t really get a chance to hear from much anyway (mostly all of their backgrounds and how they got in the business â€" that was the gist of what I got to hear), because Vic’s Mug-A-Guest was starting soon. Me and Goose quietly tucked ourselves outta there as we made our way to the outside hallway of Salon 5, where we ran into Nikki again . . . she would be joining us in our second Mug-A-Guest as well. Maybe it was due to the fact that there were so many Mugs on this day, but I noticed the room was not signed up all the way this time as it was for Josh Keaton or Keith David the day before. The more awesome for us, because we all got a chance to pick Vic’s head on various things . . . one mugger (forget his name) worked as an assistant of some extant in animation before, so he wanted to know just how the various animation sent overseas gets sent back, and specifically in what form (answer: digitally, in a way that they can add stuff like snow in scenes where they might not have intended it for). I ask questions more story-related, from favorite action sequence (had to tell him mine was the Tombstone-opera) which happened to be the various Everyday-Thug-Beatings simply because that’ where Spider-Man can be his most smart-alec self, and just how complex and unique Spidey fights with these non-super-villains . . . a particular favorite . . . using one bad guy as a weapon to attack another. I also asked favorite arc and which villain he’d most like to see next (knowing full well, that it wouldn’t be a guarantee for the oh-so-desired season three) â€" instead of arcs he gave eps, as that was too hard (Lizard, Sinister Six eps, Hammy vs. Silver Sable, among others) and he decided that his favorites were already in the series . . . Green Goblin, Doc Ock . . . maybe a copout, but it didn’t feel that way . . . and it wasn’t like I was looking for spoilers like a kid pits his parents against each other when they want something:

(What villains we going to see next season, Mr. Weisman? . . . Greg W: For the gazillion bazillionth time, NO COMMENT!! And don’t bug Vic as well!!! / What villains we going to see next season, Mr. Cook? . . . Vic: Did you ask Greg if it’s okay? . . . Yes, we did!! . . . Vic: Well, in the first episode of season three we’ll start the scene at Ravencroft . . .)

Yeah, you guys are smarter than that d:

Before the time was over, Vic even got a chance to mug all of us a bit . . . we all mentioned what we were doing, whether we were in school or already trying to find a job out there. Vic also mentioned his involvement with Mecha-Nation, something I do think I’ll check out while Gargoyles comics are on the (hopeful) hiatus.

After a quick picture with Vic (awesome! â€" already said so in person, but if your reading, thanks!!), Goose went to the Writers Panel while I took a little trip to the Con Suite, where I properly met A Fan, saw Vicky UK again, and was treated to some vanilla fudge all the way from Boston from the friendly Chyna. I didn’t have so much of chance to chat with them, as it was I was just really hungry and thirsty. After a quick thanks for the fudge, I found my way to the Writers Panel where I grabbed a seat just in time for Greg to ramble on things he’s written about on Ask Greg . . . the status of the DVDs and the ever-changing hands of execs at Disney. Except it wasn’t just that, it became a full-on rant about ‘UNIMPRESSIVE’ execs, such as the folks that were desperate to knock KP down. This was news to my ears, especially since KP is in fact a show I very much loved and supported. I knew of the fan campaigns to support the show into an additional 22 episodes after the final 65 aired (movie included), but I never, never, NEVER knew it had such a rocky beginning . . . mad props to McCorkle and Schooley for handling that the best they could so they could actually make a great show. As for the brief talk about W.I.T.C.H. â€" the second season I never got a chance to see, though I made an effort to see the first because I heard Greg W was working on the second . . . what I saw I enjoyed, though I wasn’t sold . . . if I had ever got the chance to see the second season (as well as the rest of the first, ABC Kids moved it on me I think), no doubt I would be impressed as well. *Sigh*

Following the Writers Panel, I made another gambit for autographs, with all the writers that appeared in the panel and ending with none other than Greg Weisman himself . . . I have to say, I felt sorry for him as he wrote a different witty thing for each thing I handed him (Gargoyles Season One: “Welcome to the Clan!” / Clan Building I: “We Live Again!” / Clan Building II: “We Own the Knight!” / Bad Guys: “Pheon’ is wanted!” / Spidey Season One: “Keep Swingin’!”) By the time I gave him Bad Guys, he responded, “I’m running out of witty things to write here, man!” My only excuse was that it was my first and last Gathering, which I then thanked for actually signing all those things. You DO rock, Greg! d:

Following the massive Greg signings, I heard from Goose that he wasn’t feeling so hot, and that he wasn’t sure if his headache would be okay by the Masquerade. As my only ride and my friend, I told him to take it easy and that he should check out the Con Suite. He opted to stay at a couch nearby the Registration Table, while I took a peak at the Live Auction (a Brooklyn Applause figure went for 100 bucks I think!) before I realized the Silent Auction was coming to a close.

Now, throughout the entire weekend, I had my eye set on getting a key chain. I collect key chains from any chance I can get . . . from any city I visit, to any major (or minor) moment in my life that I can account for . . .it gets a key chain that I hang on my bedroom roof linked to several rings from oter key chains forming one long, long chain. My two trips to Disneyland (1998 & 2009) both got Chains. My two trips to Washington DC (2005 & 2009) both got chains hanging. My high school graduation even has a little tassle key chain among the rest in line. I even got one last night at the Hard Rock Café in City Walk, as it was the first Hard Rock I actually ate at. So it seemed perfectly awesome to try and bid on a certain Phoenix Gate key chain and have it represent my time at the last Gathering.

Well, there was just one problem â€" as the last hour of the silent bidding for the various art pieces was coming to a close, I found out one of my newly made friends here â€" Abby, or Abigail â€" was also set to win that key chain. So then began the struggle of one convincing the other they wanted the key chain more. The conversation between us was civil in the beginning . . . from chit chat about the series and comics to figuring out ways to make the other understand why they should get the keychain Gate. I went with the fact that I actually TOOK Latin at my high school cause of Gargoyles and actually used the Gate in a little project we had in trying to find Latin in today’s culture (most kids used university mottos, I used the Latin incantations on Gargoyles, including, um, THE PHOENIX GATE). She went with the pity angle, saying how she was leaving Sunday morning and that she also couldn’t attend the banquet, unlike me. I reminded her that I lived in, uh, hellooo PHOENIX (Arizona, folks). About seven minutes left in the silent bidding and she was already stomping my feet (steel toes, baby!) and pushing me away from the bidding sheet, as I prepared to poise my pen to make my final bid. At the rate we were going, this chain wasn’t going to come cheap. At about three minutes left in the count I realized that she wasn’t going to let me have it cheap, even if I tried, and that I’d get a better deal if I aimed for the Phoenix Gate 2-Piece necklace . . . only problem was the bidding sheet showed a bidder with some serious effort to claim the winning bid. So I made my pact with Abby . . . she help me cover the table to win the necklace (should the other serious bidder show up in these last minutes) and I’ll remove my bid on the key chain. In the last seconds everything flowed smoothly, and we were ecstatic as being winners of our respective Gates. (The third Gate went to Justin “I’d Rather be Pillaging” to no real last-minute competition and the three of us took a picture with Aaron ‘Halloweenking,’ the maker of all these gorgeous Gates.)

All in all, this was continuing to be an awesome con experience . . . we were all laughing about the last minute silent auction feuding as we saw Greg W. slowly making his way what I believe was the Banquet. A quick, yet polite request for a picture between conversations, and we also made our way to the Banquet separately, glowing in the excitement that we’ve been experiencing all day. A quick question to Greg B as to where the Banquet was, and we soon found ourselves waiting for the feast to begin. As our badges were checked for ‘banquet’ stickers, we opted to sit next to Ben Diskin (Venom), since neither me nor Goose really got to hear from him outside the Spidey Panel the day before. As our table filled up with Mike and Jennifer ‘Crzy Demona’ Anderson herself (the two names I remembered), we discovered that Ben was a really awesome guy. Getting to know him was as cool and natural as getting to know Josh at his Mug-A-Guest, and this was with the challenge of talking over the dinner babbling.

Ben may proclaim himself as the quiet one, but this guy has a definite sense of humor, laughing at my retelling of what just went down at the silent auction (he just spotted my Gate necklace in my hands, which I had no found a way to carefully put it away, there wasn’t like a box for it and both chains were small for my neck) as well as virtually anything Mike, Goose, or Jennifer had to say. This was a great table to sit at â€" and great view of the stage too, as Greg W. brought up all the guests for a special Q&A.

Aside from asking if Ben did anything as goofy as Crispin being Peter MacNicol’s arms (to which I got a surprised look of ‘I’m the quiet guy!’ and a explanation from Greg of the crazy challenges they put Ben’s voice through), I simply enjoyed hearing the other people’s questions, though I DID enjoy getting interrupted by the sudden late arrival of Thom Adcox, waving a fresh empty plate like hat from the set of Hello Dolly . . . but that’s cause I just saw Wall-E recently on DVD . . .if he wasn’t as short maybe I’d think of a different musical d:

A touching moment during the Q&A was hearing Michael Reeves return the credit back to Greg Weisman. The two have been bouncing the credit back and forth all day during the various panels, but it was especially touching here . . . Michael is truly an example of a brilliantly talented person who’s also such a gentleman. I was so happy to see him at this Gathering.

As the banquet ended we asked and took a picture with Ben and Crispin Freeman . . . both are terribly gifted voice actors and tremendously friendly people . . .along with pretty much the rest of the cast from both shows.

Well, the wait for the Masquerade was on the longer side this time, further accentuated by the fact that despite the awesome time he had at the Banquet, there wasn’t much distracting Goose from his headache now, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay much longer. I basically asked if it was okay if we got a glimpse of the Masquerade, as I never been to one before (my excuse ALL weekend, and a good one at that. If we do get another convention sometime in the future, I’ll definitely have to provide my own transportation, cause the old excuse just won’t work anymore d: ). While we waited I ran into Nikki again and the two of chatted about the recent Trades, mostly Clan Building Volume II. All three of us were costume-less, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying the ones other people were wearing and thinking about costumes we each worn in the past, mostly for Harry Potter release parties d:

As the clock was starting to approach 10 PM I was wondering if the masquerade was ever going to start when the doors opened and we flooded in. A quick look at the panel of judges revealed Keith David and Carl Johnson, two people I haven’t yet had a chance to ask for an autograph. But there was no time to ask as the show was already on the road with the Masquerade contest . . . my definite favorite were Justin’s King Arthur, Aaron’s Jackal, and Jade’s baby’s Alex costume . . . that thing was adorable on paper and it became exponentially cuter in real life. I was particularly jealous of the Illuminati pins worn by Shari and Illuminati members d:

While the judging was being finalized, music video came next, and some real good one at that . . . my two favorites after the special tribute to Greg were the Demona vids . . . ‘Between these Hazel Eyes’ and the ‘Poor Unfortunate Demona’ â€" there’s no doubt in my head that while both were awesome, the second enjoyed a better atmosphere following the first. After an emotional Demona video, nothing was more fitting than Demona as the Little Mermaid and Puck as Ursulla. Priceless.

**Takes long breath and cracks fingers**

After the Dance ‘officially’ began, I made my way for the Judge’s panel and asked for Keith and Carl’s autographs . . . seriously, I must come off as annoying at this point, despite my sincerest Please and Thank yous. Again, these pros (voice actor and otherwise) have been awesome the entire weekend, and I so appreciate their patience and understanding through such a busy weekend where they pulled and tugged every which way.

As I put my DVDs away, I found Goose again and we slowly headed back to the parking lot, knowing that I was going to be up all night writing this latest entry. I of course would have liked to have stayed longer to see the dance, but I’m not complaining â€" I got to see the Masquerade, see the music videos, as well as the presentation of the ‘Thom Adcox Memorial’ Award . . . nothing more touching d:
Gotta say it again: Jade’s baby stole the show with her down-right cuteness!!!

Oh yeah, tomorrow’s the LAST day . . . man, this flew by quick!

Greg responds...

The whole thirteen years flew by for me!

Response recorded on January 15, 2010

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Phoenician writes...

Saturday

Well, here’s where the crazy fun begins, no doubt about that. After breakfast with Goose and his family, we hightailed it back to the hotel in hopes of signing up for one of the Mug-A-Guests that morning. (Can’t really remember what was played on the way there, music-wise, so I guess it couldn’t have been too good. I do remember the two of us listening to the Kevin & Bean show, where they talked about OCD . . . odd) We had just barely missed Keith David but we manage to sign up or Josh Keaton with room to spare. While waiting for his arrival, we chatted with some of the fans nearby the Registration and Dealer Room, including, but not limited to Blaise and Abby.

Josh came just as he was supposed to, and after him grabbing some ice water, we headed inside the suite with a group of 9ish, (2 more would come after trying out for the Radio Play, I believe). Everyone sitting at a table, I suddenly understood the difference of intimate setting that I couldn’t imagine the day before (hey, Thom’s just a really personal guy I guess). In short (too late!) Josh talked about how he got into the business, how he got involved with Spectacular Spidey, how he was a dork in high school, and how he knew about Spider-Man all his life. One of the questions I asked regarded who he enjoyed villain-wise, from the point of view as a comic-fan that he is, and from a behind-the-scenes who he liked to work with-point-of-view. I was giddy upon hearing him mention his excitement regarding the show’s Tombstone, who he said, ‘Would kick Kingpin’s a**’ . . . hee hee. He also mentioned having a great time working with John DiMaggio. He went on to say that he would love to see the Spot one day on the show, simply because â€" given the show’s animation â€" it would be awesome. We soon passed the allotted time, which meant we kept on talking till the kicked us out to bring in Keith David and his muggers. d:

After the Mug-A-Guest with Josh, while Goose went to go see Crispin Freeman’s Anime Mythology while I went to go find the audition line for the Radio Play. Having never been to a Gathering, I knew I at least wanted to try out, even though I haven’t been in a production of anything since Goldilocks and the Three Bears in Kindergarten (and I was the ‘Baby Bear’ Bed . . . seriously). As I got in line, I was behind the fellow that would eventually rock as Carnage (I believe he auditioned with a Green Goblin script), while I took a gander at a Harry Osborn bit. Again, no experience of acting AT ALL . . . but it’s my first (and by default, last) Gathering so yippee kai yay, I even attempted a shriek . . . sooo didn’t sound pretty.

As I left the audition, feeling (at the least) great for the fact that I at least gave it a shot, I discovered the line for Marina Sirtis. Upon realizing it was for MARINA SIRTIS, I popped right in line, much to the amusement of those already in line. I was soon joined in the line by none other than Gorebash, who was awesome to meet in person. Marina was an absolutely wonderful, signing by Season II, Volume I DVD of Gargoyles (the Demona side). I would later thoroughly enjoy her participation in the Gargoyles Voice Actors Panel (especially her chucking Jolly Ranchers at both Greg Weisman and Jamie Thompson) d:

After getting Marina’s autograph, I made my way to what was left of Crispin’ presentation . . . and from what I saw, the guy REALLY REALLY knows his stuff. If ever a fan were to think that the pros think we are all dorks . . . it’s almost certain that these pros are dorks, geeks, and gamers as well.

As Crispin ended, I joined the front of the room where the Gargoyles Voice Acting Panel would take place â€" oh what fun indeed. Jamie Thompson, Thom, Keith, Marina, and Greg were all a delight and hilarious to see in person . . . though it was one small sample of the original cast, its clear that these folks had fun working on the set. The same thing was obvious as we then saw the Voice Acting Panel for Spectacular Spider-Man . . . but this time with a fair majority of the main cast. Laughter was in no short supply during these panels, and I was happy to see them. Afters, when we were being kicked out for the Radio Play Rehearsals, I asked Steve Blum to sign the glider of my Green Goblin action figure . . . which I think gave him a smile, seeing a toy version of his character d:

As we waited for the Radio Play to begin an hour and a half later, I thought to go outside for a bit while Goose went to see the special screening o Michael Reeve’s special Star Trek screening. Instead, I found myself discovering the Con Suite in the Boarding Room, whereupon I met two fellow fans also from the Phoenix area (we actually don’t live that far from each other) and VickyUK again. During this time we talked to fellow fan and how he discovered the fandom and how he had never realized its decent size and longevity. I wasn’t a big event, but for me, the chance to actually chat with people who actually KNOW about the show . . . as much as I do . . . this was just so cool.

I soon found my way to the Dealer’s Room, voting on the various pieces . . . and shortly afterward I walked toward to see what was left of the Star Trek screening . I may not have seen one episode of Star Trek, let alone a Trekkie, but there were definitely some fun moments that reminded me of Gargoyles (can’t remember any at the moment, but there was this ‘vibe’ about it, which is a total cop out I guess).
Caught up with Goose and the two of us got in line for the Radio Play, which was just starting to get big . . . we were in a lucky spot . . . we managed to get in the second row :)

The Radio Play was . . . well, as Greg put it . . . a work of three days, which means the man’s a GENIUS. It was awesome to see it pick up right where both series left off, from the last issue of Clan Building for Gargoyles, to the finale of the second season of Spidey. For fans of both shows, this was the Radio Play to see . . . it offered no major conclusion to either series, but it satisified that desperate wish most fans currently have about both . . . which is that they want MORE STORIES. It was absolutely spectacularly epicly awesome . . . what with the various insidejokes, both the on and off screen type, and the huge ensemble from BOTH series really gave any fan something to enjoy, because this monster of a play had something for everyone. Like Goliath/Elisa? Check. Enjoy Demona scheming? Check. Love Spidey/Goblin quips? Check. Enjoy the various incarnations of the Sinister Six? Check. Like the Liz/Pete/MJ/Gwen/Harry hurricane of teen romance? Check. Like the gangster stories . . . be it Big Man/Manfredis or the Brod/Dracons? Check. Love making and hearing grunts, wails, groans, shrieks, and roars? Check. Want to hear iconic lines from either series? Check-a-roo. Enjoy breaking the 4th Wall? Check. Enjoy double entendres AS WELL AS plain-out entendres? A definite Check there, good sirs and ladies. Like hearing characters interact with characters by the SAME voice actor? Check! (Thom’s Lex line of ‘what an annoying voice’ was flat-out hilarious) Want more Hormunculi? Check to the 5th power! You REALLY want Carnage? CHECK! Enjoy magic? Check Check, and a very almost-sacriligious-but-very-awesome CHECK (Seeing Marina/Demona ‘lick’ her own oozing blood . . . man, she may not have done Demona in over a decade, but she’s STILL got it)!!!

And unsurprisingly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg . . . flat out amazing. The entire Gathering players were awesome . . . special nod to Blaise and his Zafiro (seriously, a freakin’ HUGE cast). It was absolutely wonderful to hear the talent of Marina, Darran, Phil LaMar, Steve Blum, Keith David, and other in person. I can’t possibly imagine where I’ll have this opportunity again. So. Definitely. Worth. It.

An inexperienced mind would see a script for this play and think it was a stack of five copies . . . this thing was HUGE, and it went by SO fast. Just. Awesome.
After the Radio Play, I found Josh Keaton and asked him to sign my season one DVD of Spidey. It was soon joined by Crispin’s, Daran Norris’s, Debra Strang’s, James Arnold Taylor’s, Eric Vesbin’s, Thom Adcox’s (who also signed by Clan Building Volume II), Ben Diskin’s, and even Greg B’s . . . oh come on, he was the worst chauffeur! Wendy Pini would sign the first page to Clan Building Volume I, where her introduction rests d:

With the Radio Play over, Goose and I were hungry indeed, so we went out to the City Walk and saw a bit of the sites . . . definitely awesome to do, as I’ve never been near Universal Studios before. We eventually stopped to eat at the Hard Rock Café . . . my first time at a HRC, in fact . . . despite the long wait for TWO people, the food was good enough to say it worthwhile and we then hightailed it back to see if we got back in time for the Blue Mug Session.

Not sure what I can say about it, but it was fun indeed to be there during the time we were there, we just got in right after Thom dropped by with his little pooch, not to mention some snacks in tow . . . I myself gnarked a Ding Dong as I listened to questions regarding to Gargoyles and even some Spidey. Highlight definitely involved . . . well, let’s just say ‘Lexington’ and be done with it. d:

Unfortunately, we had to head back to my pal’s place . . . he doesn’t live really close, and we weren’t sure on the traffic sitch, so we left before anything regarding the ‘Last Tengu’ was brought up. Oh well. It was definitely fun what we saw. I would of course like to have stuck around longer, but hey, I did have to write all this soon after . . . how would it be remembered?? d:

Plus, Sunday looks to be even MORE awesome.

Greg responds...

Not to late to check out Last Tengu...

Response recorded on January 15, 2010

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Phoenician writes...

And here be my 2009 Gathering Con-Journal!! It is the first of its kind that I have ever written, and I’m amazed at just what exactly I remembered! (Though writing entries the night of I do believe makes them easier, I would hope). The one constant in each of these entries (besides the giddyness) is the fact that I DIDN’T stay at the Hilton where all the festivities took place. Despite the obvious awesome reasons why that was preferred choice, if I even tried to consider the cost of the Registration AND the hotel AND the flight . . . then it just wasn’t going to happen (and I DIDN’T want that to happen, not when it’s the last year, and when I‘ve put off going for years now). So my friend, Goose, and his family graciously hosted me while I dragged him to a 4-day geekasm. Needless to say, we both had a blast, as it is described below in enough detail (I don’t describe the color of the chairs used . . . oh all right, RED. Ish).

Thursday

Though we arrived in Sky Harbor International at around 6:20 PM, it was soon revealed to us that our flight at 7:20 PM was delayed till 8:10 PM. *Sigh* whatever, I bought a Coke and we waited at the airport as my roommate, Goose, bought souvenirs for his family back in Los Angeles. When we arrived we were picked up by his family, where we chatted over a real late dinner at Denny’s. By the time we were exhausted to go to bed it was past one in the morning.

Friday

Okay, sooo wake up for me was at about 9ish, where I enjoyed breakfast with Goose at his place. Soon after, we headed toward the hotel and Gathering, where we started with a Gorillaz song but ended up blasting Gargoyles music and singing the theme to Spectacular Spider-Man. Despite the traffic we hit, we got there just as the first events began. A quick little visit to the Registration table (where upon I discovered I did my badge name ‘unright’ . . . it WAS my name, just not my avatar-username as most guests had done . . . oh well, no matter, that would be easily rectifiable) and we headed to one of the first events, the panel on drawing comics by Karine Charlebois. When her panel was over, me and my friend decided to stick around in that room for the next two panels . . . the Banshee’s ‘Machiavelli on Gargoyles’ and the ‘Rookery Brothers’ with Thom Adcox and Bill Faggerbake. Except for the fact that Faggerbake wasn’t around (no idea why, :( ) Thom was an absolute blast to get to know and hear from. From his various stories on and off the set (one about him goofing around with Ed Asner while recording for Gargoyles still gives me laughs) to the questions he answered regarding the characters he played over the years . . . Lexington and Tinkerer of course, but a guy-fairy in the next Tinkerbell film and a turtle in a somewhat recent Taco Bell commercial . . . the entire group was having a good time and certainly in stitches d: You can really tell he enjoys coming to these conventions.

It was the same room for those three events that afternoon, so it was interesting who stuck around for which ones . . . in between the second and third event, my friend and I met â€" Abby was it? â€" where we enjoyed having a not-so-short discussion on the comics and Spectacular Spider-Man (gist: comics were spoiler-free, Spectacular Spidey was not!)

Now, I have never attended a Mug-A-Guest -- and having just arrived when we did, we missed our chance at signing up for Greg or Diskin â€" but despite the larger group, I felt there was some ample time for most everyone that wanted to ask a question or have a comment to be able to do so. I also have to confess that one event finished and I was still too giddy to show patience with Karine . . . I just had to ask for her autograph for my Bad Guys Trade . . . hey, folks, she did a fantastic job! The giddiness would decrease to a more natural level later in the day, and I stopped myself from bugging Thom and Greg Weisman when I met them (don’t take it personally, I have all weekend d: )

By the time we were done hanging out with Thom, it was something of a half-hour before the start of the Opening Ceremonies. So, after a quick look around at the Art Show (crazy good stuff there, by the way), we headed towards the Ballroom, where I noticed a discussion regarding the latest comics nearby . . . a somewhat shy walk towards the group revealed to me to be CR vets Bishansky, Matt, and Blaise, with some others that I wasn’t able to catch their names. I also spotted and met VickyUK and I totally had to tell her that it was just awesome to know that she had flown 10 hours to enjoy this last Gathering.

When it comes down to it, my favorite part of the evening was getting to see this group of dedicated fans in person . . . there is no doubt in my mind that that my enthusiasm for the series has lasted this long due to my (somewhat passive) interaction with these folks online in the CR.

Anyways, after a slight delay, we all entered the Ballroom and took our seats as Opening Ceremonies began. Greg W opened up with the icebreaker of pure demographics . . . who’s new and virgin and who’s old and veterany. After telling all the 1st time newbies to rise (couldn’t really tell from where I was, but it was a lot wasn’t it??) he then dwindled the group one year at a time (there seemed to me to be a big drop after six, but who’s counting ?) until finally all that was left was Patrick, Jennifer, Greg, Karine, and A Fan â€" the kids that decided to stick it out for 13 years. Kudos for all the hard work, guys . . . and to everyone else that’s been vital to the Gathering. Kudos.

So after introductions and general FYI, Greg started his usual spiel . . . which apparently is almost verbatim for over a decade d: Though I’ve never been to one, the story was familiar simply from reading the Ask Greg archives all these years, as well as some of the bonus features on the DVDs. Nevertheless, there was quite a bit of detail that I didn’t know or remember (I don’t believe I ever read about Faggerbake’s ‘It’s better than Barney’ quip after the preview of the show to the press).

Interesting note . . . its probably well known fact, but I do remember watching what was apparently cropped from the footage shown at the SciFi footage â€" the mostly Johnathan Frakes vid â€" on a VHS of A Goof Movie (I think that’s the one) . . . I haven’t seen it in over a decade, but the music and animation clips-cutted look familiar to me, as well as the brief interviews from Frakes, Marina Sirits, and Keith David (though I distinctly remember seeing Salli Ricardson as well in that VHS preview). Certaintly reminded me just how much time has passed since I first saw this show when I was WAAAYY little.

So after seeing the original show pitches and the spinoff pitches (including the Bad Guys leica reel . . . I guess I’m in a special class of fan that got to see the reel AFTER the reading the Trade Paperback) I finally got to see the latest work on ‘The Last’ . . . still incomplete, but there was a ton done in those twenty-odd minutes and while ‘unofficial’ â€" it’s really awesome to see the conglomeration of the professional Voice Acting with all the art that fans have come to put together. Having never seen it before, I really wonder which scenes were completed first and which ones were new additions. All in all, an entertaining episode that made me further appreciate my copy of ‘Bad Guys.’ d:

Total random moment when a cell phone sounding just like Kim Possible’s Kimmunicator started beeping . . . Greg even recognized it, stopping mid-sentence to blurt out while looking at the crowd: ‘Kim? Kim?’ Too funny.

With the conclusion of the Opening Ceremonies, I imagine most guests and fans and staff grabbed something to eat somewhere . . . me and my friend made our way back across the city back to his place, where we enjoyed dinner there.

Hey, it’s day one . . . the fun’s just getting started.

Greg responds...

Glad you could make it.

Response recorded on January 14, 2010

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Matt writes...

Just to be clear for the sake of the GargWiki,

The six gargoyles and two beasts that Demona initially talks to in "Tyrants", they are all originally from the Wyvern Clan, right? Meaning they all hatched at Wyvern, moved away when the Wyvern Clan split and eventually all joined Demona's Clan as a single cell. Is that right?

And I believe you said this at the Gathering, but I want to clarify something else along these lines: I think you said that each cell was divided up by location and that each cell had its origins with a specific clan. Is that right?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2. No. The cells are small enough, that multiple cells might have their origins with the same clan. And on the other hands, some individual cells might be a mix of gargoyles and beasts from multiple clans.

Response recorded on January 14, 2010

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Vaevictis Asmadi writes...

Greetings Greg,

I have a quick question about one of the gargoyle models in The Gathering. Since you have revealed some interesting tidbits about the City of Stone and comics models it seems like the time to ask this:

There is a female gargoyle model who appears in the throne room scene in The Gathering, seen on the left in this scene next to a gorgon-like Child of Oberon: http://gargoyles.dracandros.com/Image:The_Gathering2.jpg

There are some gargoyles in the scene serving as Honor Guard, but this female is not, and from the way she seems to be chatting with the Child of Oberon, and since the Third Race can look however they want, I have never been confident I know what she is.

Was she intended to be a gargoyle, or a Child of Oberon who is in a gargoyle shape?

Thanks!

Greg responds...

I'd probably need to watch the episode again for context to tell you for certain, but based on that picture, she appears to just be a gargoyle, presumably one of Princess Katharine's Eggs.

Response recorded on January 14, 2010

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Matt writes...

Just wondering about the origin of a couple of monikers.

1. Where did the nickname "The Grim" come from for Kenneth? Why did you use it?

2. What is the origin of "True", the young female in Demona's Clan. Meaning, why do you call her "True"?

Greg responds...

1. I think it's "in-story" origin is pretty clear from the story, so I won't add to that. As for why I chose to use it... it had a few benefits:

1. Helps distinguish Kenneth III from Kenneth II.

2. Added a bit of tension as to who or what the Grim might be before we met him.

3. Was useful to illustrate character for Grim and Maol Chalvim.

Response recorded on January 14, 2010

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vgmaster831 writes...

Dear Greg Weisman,

How exactly did Boudicca get beack to Avalon after "The Gathering: Part 1"? If I am not mistaken, she is not seen throughout the rest of "The Gathering".

Your brand new fan,
vgmaster831

Greg responds...

Oberon sent her back.

Response recorded on January 11, 2010

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Greg Bishansky writes...

Since you said to ask these questions here,

What are Falstaff and Fiona Canmore's Illuminati numbers?

Full Gathering journal coming soon, I promise.

Greg responds...

Did I? Not revealing that at this time.

Response recorded on January 11, 2010

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Blaise writes...

GATHERING OF THE GARGOYLES
CON-JOURNAL

DAY 4
MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2009

And so we come at last to the last day of the last Gathering. There were several reasons why I felt a bit down that morning, but that very fact of finality was a very strong one. Fortunately, both Guardian and Gside were there to offer me sympathetic pats on either shoulder.
I had arrived at 9AM and was surprised to see almost no one by the Mandarin room when the past three days were always fairly poppin' by about that time. At first I was by myself, but then Gside arrived and soon after Guardian. After discussing various subjects, we were slowly joined by A Fan, then Gorebash, Abby and VickyUK arrived pretty much one after the other. I was sad to learn Gore would have to leave before closing ceremonies, as would A Fan. For my part, I was glad I would be able to attend since it felt like something I HAD to take part in.

I attended the "Gargoyles" and "Bad Guys" comic book Q&A panel. I wish I could have gone to both that and the "Future of the 'Gargoyles' fandom" panel, but they were both at the same time, and I hadn't attended the comic panel back in 2006, so I had to go with this one. A number of questions about plot developments and art styles were answered (and a few questions were actually raised). I remember asking Karine and Greg Guler who were there favorite characters to design. Karine felt she had way too many to choose from, but was particularly fond of the new mutate designs she had done. Greg G. didn't think he had designed any real "new" characters (except a few extras, but he liked the Porter) until Greg W. indicated that he designed The Grim (AKA, Kenneth III). Interesting note, they made him blonde in order to contrast him from Findlaech and Maol Chalvim (since they all have pretty much the same general style in beards). Also, Greg admitted that he fairly quickly dispensed with his idea of "nothing in the comic that wouldn't be in the animated series." He's pretty sure they wouldn't have been able to pull off Brooklyn cutting off Valmont's hand on TV (and even in the comic, he specifically instructed that they never show the "stump" of the severed appendage).

After that panel, I took one last look in the Dealer's Room, but they were already packing everything up. I briefly sampled Karine's "Animating with Flash" panel, which looked very well done and informative with excellent visual aids, but I found I had little interest in flash, and went to the "Gargoyles Biology & Culture" panel. I don't know why only the front half of the room had light, but apparently someone fell asleep in the dark half and began to snore. Greg, Jade Griffin and Matt Parker didn't notice (or at least pretended not to) and someone else woke the first person up. I remember asking about how most gargoyles have four digits per appendage, but now we've seen Katana, who has three per appendage. And of course Sora, who had the usual 4 per hand, but only 3 per foot. Apparently, the Ishimura clan (or all Japanese) gargoyles are just unique in that way. Just like how the Mayan clan can have snake-like lower bodies, and the Loch Ness clan can have "dolphinesque" lower bodies. Funny thing...I remember from Crispin Freeman's panel on dragons, that in China, the dragon is usually shown with four toes on each foot, unless it is the Imperial dragon (only for the emperor), which has five toes per foot. But in Japan, the dragon is usually shown with THREE toes per foot. Hmmmmm. Okay maybe I'm over thinking things.

At last, we came to Closing Ceremonies. This was it. The End (at least for the time being). The usual awards for art were given out (and we had some really great ones this year). And then Greg Weisman began making a final speech, and had to constantly fight back tears during it. A lot of jokes came flying just so we had some laughter to try to counteract the water works. Actually, laughter and tears were pretty much the theme of closing ceremonies. Thom Adcox, god, you could tell he loved the Gatherings just as much as anyone. For over an hour, various members of the con staff, as well as Greg W. and Thom, began telling stories about their first Gathering, and how much being a part of this brought joy to their lives. There was a whole lotta hugging going on! Greg W. emphasized how many things (the DVDs, the comics), were directly attributable to the Gathering. We even had a few members of the audience tell their stories (and get handed tissues).
I think...no, I know nobody wanted this (the ceremonies, the Gathering, anything) to end. But it had to eventually, and it did.

We all said our good-byes (and I discovered that Guardian actually lives within the LA area as well). I hung around for a bit, but there was really not much left to help pack, and I was getting hungry. So I made my way out of the Gathering and back to the real world.

That's my con-journal, but I do have a few final thoughts of my own that I'll post later on.

Greg responds...

It was VERY emotional...

Response recorded on January 11, 2010

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Ageist writes...

====SPOILERS FROM CLAN-BUILDING 2====

A lot of new faces were seen in Demona's clan in CB2 - and it sounds like some interesting facts were given out about the whole clan's relationships to Wyvern clan members during this last Gathering. So a couple questions:

1) Were all of the Gargates seen in the cell that Demona's Second/True/etc were part of from the Wyvern Split clan?

2) What year were these Gargates born in?
a - Demona's Second's Mate/Sacrifice
b - "Bro" the red Gargoyle Brooklyn spoke with.
c - Brooklyn's bioBrother, seen behind Brook and "Bro"
d - the little Green gargoyle standing next to True.
e - Bronx's parents

3) Was Sacrifice related biologically to any other Gargoyle we've seen from Wyvern? If so which?

4) The little Blue Gargoyle from City of Stone was not seen here (that I found). Where was he?

Greg responds...

1. Yes.

2.
a. 918.
b. 958.
c. 938.
d. 978
e. 898

3. Don't know.

4. Another cell, probably.

Response recorded on January 11, 2010


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